New Google Home/Amazon Alexa app lets you have conversations with Pikachu!

If I’m being totally honest, I’m not all that intrigued by smart speakers such as Amazon’s Alexa and Google Home. It probably has something to do with my job requiring me to do Internet research on topics such as “sexy anime girl leftover bathwater drink” and “kimono boobs,” but in general I prefer to go with written correspondence between my machines and me, as opposed to saying those search terms out loud for anyone in earshot to hear.

And yet, suddenly I totally see the appeal of smart speaker technology, because it’s going to allow us to have conversations with Pikachu.

Of course, as with the majority of Pokémon, Pikachu’s vocabulary is limited to the sound components of his name, so there’s probably going to be a limit to how in-depth you and your electric-type pal can discuss matters such as politics, the economy, or philosophy. But as Pikachu’s voice actress, Ikue Otani, has talked about, each and every utterance of “pikaaa” or “pika pika” the character makes carries its own emotional weight and meaning, and the app’s developers are promising a wide range of verbal reactions. So if nothing else, it seems like Pikachu should be able to give you an excited “Pika!”when you enthusiastically reveal “I’m having pizza-flavored ramen for dinner tonight!”

Pikachu Talk is scheduled to start service within the year in Japan, with an overseas launch planned for 2018. Oh, and don’t bother throwing money at your screen, because the app is going to be absolutely free.